Gravenhurst, Ontario
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| Town of Gravenhurst, Ontario | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| District | Muskoka |
| Municipality | Gravenhurst |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | John Klinck |
| Population (2001) | |
| - Total | 10 899 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code(s) | 705 |
| Website: http://www.gravenhurst.ca | |
Gravenhurst (2001 population 10,899) is a town in the Muskoka Region of Ontario, Canada. It is located approximately 15 kilometres south of Bracebridge, Ontario. The mayor is John Klinck. The Town of Gravenhurst includes a large area of the District of Muskoka, known to Ontarians as "cottage country." The town centre borders on two lakes: Lake Muskoka, which is the largest lake in the Region, and Gull Lake, a smaller cottage-bordered lake. Another lake, Kahshe Lake, is situated ten kilometres south of the town.
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[edit] History
Gravenhurst was originally named McCabes Bay and later as Sawdust City. Gravenhurst was named after a village in England which is mentioned in Washington Irving's Bracebridge Hall.
Nearby Muldrew Lake was named after the lake's second cottager, Dr. William Hawthorne Muldrew. He was the principal of the first Gravenhurst high school in 1894. In 1901 he published a book called Sylvan Ontario, A Guide to Our Native Trees and Shrubs. It was the first book published on this subject in Ontario, and the drawings were his own. All the different types of trees and shrubs of Muskoka could be seen at the school, as he transplanted many of the specimens from Muldrew Lake.
From 1940 to 1943 Gravenhurst was site of "Little Norway," an important training camp for what is today the Royal Norwegian Air Force during World War II. From 1940 to 1946 Gravenhurst was the site of Camp XX, the Gravenhurst Internment Camp, for Nazi Prisoners of War. Before the war it was the Calydor Sanitarium. After the war it was turned into a kosher resort called The Gateway.
[edit] Demographics
Age Structure
- 0-14 years: 14.6%
- 15-64 years: 64.3%
- 65 years and over: 21.1%
[edit] Education
Gravenhurst is home to the Ontario Fire College.
[edit] Transportation
Gravenhurst also declares itself the "Gateway to the Muskoka Lakes" and has a large gate bearing this message hanging over Muskoka District Road 169, the main road leading into town from Highway 11. The gate has recently been taken down and will be rebuilt on Bethune Drive. It is the home port of the RMS Segwun, the oldest vessel powered by a working steam engine in North America.
[edit] Famous residents
Dr. Norman Bethune was born in Gravenhurst and his family's home there has been preserved as a Canadian National Historic Site
Gravenhurst is also the hometown of Canadian authors Martin Avery, John Ibbitson, and Christina Kilbourne.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
